Irwin "Trip" Rothschild III Papers, 1945-1994

The Irwin "Trip" Rothschild III Papers includes materials related to Rothschild's time as an undergraduate student at Northwestern University from 1968 to 1972. While a student at Northwestern, Rothschild was a member of Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity and created the Student Organized Seminar program. This collection is one box of materials that span from 1945 to 1994.

Items of particular note in this collection include around 96 letters from Rothschild to his family dating from September 1968 to June 1972. Rothschild describes the daily life of a Northwestern student, such as campus activities and events, dating, homesickness, coursework, fraternity life, and his opinions of Northwestern. His letters also touch on the political and social climate of the period. As with many higher education institutions across the United States during this period, Northwestern saw many student-led movements and protests brought on by civil rights, Black activism, and anti-Vietnam War sentiments. Rothschild’s letters provide a student’s insight into many activities during this time. In an undated letter labeled “Emergency Letter Number 1,” Rothschild details students protesting the NROTC appearance on campus, student trials before the University Discipline Committee for striking, and Rothschild’s opinion of past student strikes and current demonstrations on campus. [box 1, folder 8]

In an undated letter labeled “Weekly News Bulletin No. 40,” Rothschild writes about the Triangle Fraternity Incident that occurred on March 4, 1969, when 21 Black students were suspended after occupying the housing of the Triangle Fraternity, leading the students to a subsequent hunger strike to protest the discipline they received from the university. [box 1, folder 8] Like many students during this time, Rothschild’s letters became increasingly political as time went on. His letters frequently refer to key political figures at the time, such as Richard Nixon and Barry Goldwater. He also writes of the Vietnam War, his draft status, other protests on campus, and the upcoming presidential election. One folder of the collection focuses on the Anti-Vietnam War Strike that took over Northwestern’s campus in May 1970. This folder includes ephemera related to the strike and a letter written by Rothschild titled “Diary of a Revolution(ary).” [box 1, folder 9]

The collection also contains newspaper clippings, pamphlets, documents about Rothschild's involvement in student organizations, and administration correspondence related to the war strikes.